Summary

The Blaine Aquifer is a minor aquifer located at the east end of the High Plains in North Texas. The aquifer is part of the Permian Blaine Formation, which is composed of red silty shale, gypsum, anhydrite, salt, and dolomite. The formation consists of cycles of marine and nonmarine sediments deposited in a broad, shallow sea that once covered the southwestern United States. Saturated thickness reaches 300 feet in the aquifer, but freshwater saturated thickness averages 137 feet.

Groundwater occurs primarily in solution channels and caverns within the beds of anhydrite and gypsum that contribute to the overall poor quality of the water. Although some wells contain slightly saline water, with total dissolved solids between 1,000 and 3,000 milligrams per liter, most contain moderately saline water, with total dissolved solids between 3,000 and 10,000 milligrams per liter, exceeding secondary drinking water standards for Texas. Sulfate values are also well in excess of the secondary drinking water standard of 300 milligrams per liter.

No significant water level declines have occurred in wells measured by the TWDB. Groundwater for domestic and livestock purposes is available from shallow wells over most of the aquifer's extent. Water is also used for some municipal, industrial, and irrigation purposes.